The Gulf2000 Project

Date: Feb 27, 2002
GULF2000PROJ-FEB202002
Background:

Earlier this month (around Feb. 20) there was a reference on the PGTF list to the apparent abuse of scientific and academic conferences and forums by certain Persian Gulf states with a hidden agenda of promoting the name A.. Gulf. The suspicion was that these sources hope to plant a "virus" by making sure that all the correspondence and documentation generated by the conference which are carried back to the countries and academic communities all over the world make numerous references to A... Gulf, etc. Along with that discussion someone mentioned The Gulf 2000 Project and an initial research/analysis about Gulf 2000 project was requested. Specific research on the alleged use of academic and scientific conferences requires more specific information about an incident or an abusing organization.

Profile:

The Gulf 2000 Project is a cultural and academic project created in 1993 with backing and sponsorship by Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (http://gulf2000.columbia.edu). The
project's executive director is Mr. Gary Sick who has established himself as a nationally recognized expert on the Middle East and especially Iran. He is often interviewed on national TV programs about the subject. During the US Embassy hostage crisis in 1979, Mr. Sick was a member of the United States National Security Council during the Carter Administration. Since then he has come to support a peaceful dialogue between the two countries and his general position in recent years has remained the same. In fact Mr. Sick has criticized US media's biased coverage of Iran in the past, etc.

The project's assistance director for information is Ms. Laleh Khalili. Ms. Khalili writes articles and columns on the current politics and social affairs of Iran. She has numerous articles on Iranian.com. An index to her articles can be found at this address:
http://www.iranian.com/LalehKhalili/index.html

Analysis:

I scanned the entire website for the project and tried to get to as much of the documents and little hidden corners of the many documents and articles on that website. For the most part, the forum and the website makes very little use of the name Persian Gulf but I didn't see any references to A... Gulf either. Some of the sites that are linked to the Gulf2000 website and some of the articles posted use "The Gulf". Mr. Gary Sick himself (judging from his articles and interviews) uses "The Gulf" and avoids "Persian Gulf" very consistently. SO, to him, it's "The Gulf"!

So, my analysis is that the biggest issue with "The Gulf 2000 Project" (from our point of view) is its name! Why not "The Persian Gulf 2000 Project". The exposure that such a major academic forum gives this incorrectly modified geographical name is huge!

Recommendation:

Research-based recommendations are submitted to the PGTF chair and subject to his verification and release to the entire group.

Gulf2000 Point of Contacts:

Executive Director, Gary Sick:
gulf2000-queries@columbia.edu
Deputy Director, Lawrence Potter:
lgp5@columbia.edu